Spinal connection elements, such as rods and plates, may be used in spinal surgery to align and fix a desired relationship between two or more vertebrae typically until fusion of the instrumented vertebrae occurs. A spinal connection element may be rigid, inhibiting relative motion of the vertebrae, or dynamic, allowing some degree of relative motion between the vertebrae. A spinal connection element may be coupled to the vertebrae by various bone anchors, including bone screws, hooks, and/or wires.
Recently, the trend in spinal surgery has been to provide less invasive instruments and surgical procedures for delivery of spinal connection elements to bone anchors anchored to the vertebrae to be treated. Less invasive surgical procedures, often referred to as minimally invasive surgical procedures, may decrease damage to surrounding tissue and thereby increase patient recovery time and reduce surgical complications. Present instruments for minimally invasive spine surgery can be difficult to use and difficult to clean. Accordingly, there is need for improved instruments and procedures for minimally invasive spine surgery, in particular for the delivery of spinal connection elements.